2008 Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Awards Nominations Open

Fairfax County is accepting nominations for the ninth annual
Environmental Excellence Awards through May 31. Awards will be given to
residents, community groups, environmental organizations and local
businesses for achievements that have occurred between June 1, 2007, and
May 31, 2008, or for accomplishments that have occurred over a period of
years, including at least a portion of the eligibility period. One or
more awards may be given in each of the following categories:

Fairfax County residents.

Organizations.

Businesses.

Fairfax County government employees.

The Environmental Excellence Awards Program recognizes individuals,
organizations and businesses that unselfishly dedicate time, energy and
expertise to improve the environment in support of the Fairfax County
Board of Supervisors’ environmental goals. These goals, which were
adopted by the board to foster a sustainable and vibrant living
environment both now and in the future, are:

Environmental protection: Preserving the county’s natural resources and
meeting or exceeding federal, state and local standards for water
quality, air quality and other environmental standards.

Open space conservation: Preserving and protecting stream valleys,
woodlands and other ecologically valuable areas to protect plant and
animal life.

Environmental Excellence Award recipients will be selected based on
their advancement or support of the county’s environmental goals and
policy statements; their dedication of personal time and expertise beyond
normal fiscal or civic responsibilities; and their role as a model for
others to follow. Examples of activities meriting consideration for an
award include:

Identifying or protecting ecologically valuable habitats.

Preserving or improving air quality.

Restoring streams or other degraded natural environments.

Controlling pollution or mobilizing communities to gather data to
measure the impacts of pollution.

Cataloging ecological assets.

Achieving regional or global environmental objectives beyond county
borders, such as contributing to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.

The submission requirements, award criteria, nomination form and a list
of previous recipients are available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/eqac/awards.htm.
Nomination forms also are available at several county locations, listed
below. The awards program is administered by the Fairfax County
Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) and supported by the
Fairfax County environmental coordinator and the Department of Planning
and Zoning. Award recipients will be notified by Aug. 31, and the awards
will be presented in the fall of 2008.

The Board of Supervisors’ environmental agenda, “Environmental
Excellence for Fairfax County – A 20-Year Vision,” was adopted in 2004,
and it identifies six areas of focus for environmental protection: growth
and land use; air quality and transportation; water quality; solid waste;
parks, trails and open space; and environmental stewardship. The 2004
plan and the board’s Environmental Improvement Program were recognized by
the National Association of Counties with an Achievement Award in 2006.
The environmental agenda and the Environmental Improvement Program for
Fiscal Year 2009 are available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/environment/eip/.

Fairfax County is one of the leaders of the national Cool Counties
initiative, which was launched in July in partnership with the Sierra
Club, to reduce local government emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Since
2003, the board has implemented more than $6 million worth of projects
and programs to address air quality and global climate change. Further
information on the Cool Counties initiative is at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/environment.

For more information, call the Fairfax County environmental coordinator
at 703-324-1788, TTY 711.

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Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of
disability in all county programs, services and activities. To request
this information in an alternate format, call the Office of Public
Affairs at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.